WITH HUMOROUS INTENT. - a two day symposium interrogating the deployment of humour within contemporary art practices





2nd-4th March 2012
Mostyn, Llandudno, North Wales, UK

Organised by Lee Campbell, PhD researcher, Loughborough University School of the Arts, UK in cooperation with Mostyn and Loughborough University School of the Arts, in conjunction with Politicized Practice Research Group.
to coincide with ‘Ha Ha Road’, Mostyn, 03 Dec - 11 Mar 2012.
http://www.mostyn.org/whats_on/detail/ha_ha_road

Friday 2 March 2012 Performance and talk by Bedwyr Williams and launch of symposium

Guest speakers: Gillian Whiteley (aka bricolagekitchen); Gary Stevens and Frog Morris are joined by Andrew Paul Wood (University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand); Dave Ball, curator of Ha Ha Road, Mostyn; Jonathan Roberts; Alison O’Connor (Oxford University); Ana Milovanovic; Shaun Belcher (Nottingham Trent University School of Art and Design); Eve Smith (Liverpool John Moores University); Jennifer Jarman; Hannah Ballou (Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London); Steve Fossey (University of Northampton); Simon Bell (Anglia Ruskin University,Cambridge); Waldemar Pranckiewicz; and Dean Kelland (Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London).

The symposium is launched with a performance and talk by Bedwyr Williams at 7pm, Friday 2 March. Places for Friday evening are limited and must be booked in advance, £5 / £3 students. To reserve a place for Friday 2 March, phone Mostyn’s Shop on 01492 868191.


ʻMany contemporary exhibitions focus with grim earnestness on the difficulties of social justice, environmental degradation or economic inequity. Adding humour to the equation dismantles the sense of insistent authority and reminds us that we are all complicit in these inequities. Humour can offer an astute as well as cathartic and even magical way to deal with big issuesʼ(Cassandra Coblentz: 2009).

The symposium will explore:

*humour as an artistic methodology deployed both historically and in contemporary practice embracing fine art forms including painting and sculpture as well as performance-based art practices.

*traditional and contemporary perceptions of humour against the ‘serious’ backdrop of the art-world institution, humourous artistic endeavours seeking to poke fun at the art world if as Barbara Pollack has stated, ‘humour is one of the most effective means of puncturing pomposity’ (Barbara Pollack: 2004).

*humourous devices within artistic practice to shed light on John Morreall’s theories of humour as connected to ‘superiority’, ‘relief’ and ‘incongruity’ (John Morreall:1983)

*humour as an artistic, disruptive, and transgressive act, a form of personal and social catharsis to destabilise social norms of correctness.

References
COBLENTZ, C., 2009. Seriously Funny [Publication of an exhibition held at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 2009] Ed. Ann Neff R. A 2009 SMoCA.
MORREALL, J., 1983.Taking Laughter Seriously. State University of New York Press, Albany
POLLACK, B., The Elephant in the Room in ARTNews. September 2004. p118-9.

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NEW PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTATION ON-LINE
'ON YOUR MARKS' residency July 2011 with Lucy O'Donnell
Video recording of performance at Parfitt Gallery, Croydon
available here
http://www.parfittgallery.croydon.ac.uk/exhibitions/past/onyourmarks/
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RECENT INTERVENTIONS



puttingitintopractice.blogspot.com

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE NO.1 DECEMBER 2011







The first PUT IT INTO PRACTICE took place on
Wednesday 14th 2011 at The Nunnery,181 Bow Road,London, E3 2SJ

Presenters:
Lee Campbell (Loughborough University)
Robert Luzar (Central Saint Martins UAL)
Cinzia Cremona (University of Westminster)
Caralli McCall (Central Saint Martins UAL)

Each presenter spoke for 20-25 followed by brief questions and then a panel discussion of around 1 hour.

Throughout the panel discussion, the following ideas were discussed :

* where the research locates what they are doing, aware of different disciplines *
* what governs the research process *
* expectations of the PhD on undertaking it *
* the audience contract *
* the look of the other and the impact of the other *
* the body as a shared sensibility *
* how important is meaning/artist intention *
* making your work even more vulnerable as research than in the hands of a curator *
* my practice does this because..making meaning *
* how you defend your practice in PhD examination *
* intuitition *
* methodology being your mode of thought *
* survival mechanisms *
* part of the methodology is working intuitively.
* slavoj zizek’s idea that the unconcious is more rational than your own intellectual rationale *
*what does the practice do to answer the question *
* the artwork as providing ‘access’ to a question *
* being able to be self-reflexive about your practice in context*
* you can’t really witness an event unless you are there *


Research papers given at:
PERFORMING RESEARCH:CREATIVE EXCHANGES,Central School of Speech and Drama, London.
BEING SEEN, BEING HEARD, Chelsea Theatre, London.
POLITICAL PERFORMANCE GRAD, Belgrade, Serbia.
DOCUMENTING PERFORMANCE University of Kent.
PERFORMING SUBLIMITIES University of East London.
CARNIVAL Manchester Metropolitan University.

Lee Campbell curated 'COPYCAT!'

Lee Campbell Mark Harvey Alexander Costello as part of:








Lee Campbell 'Witness Statements'Alexander Costello 'I am thinking, You are thinking'Mark Harvey 'Very big and loud piece, twice the size, I hope you don’t have garlic breath'



'I LIKE DUCKS. I LIKE DUCK' at Archipelago curated by Gary Stevens, Cafe Gallery Projects, Southwark Park, London, 2011
http://www.artsadmin.co.uk/projects/archipelago



'On Your Marks' with Lucy O'Donnell, Parfitt Gallery, Croydon, London, 2011
http://www.parfittgallery.croydon.ac.uk/exhibitions/past/onyourmarks/


'Painting The Performance' at The Centre for Creative Collaboration January 2011http://youtu.be/-6RP45yRobE
'Lost For Words' Part II as part of Political Performance symposium, Belgrade 2011http://youtu.be/g9CiV3mfx0Q

'Lost For Words' solo performance at Testing Grounds, South Hill Park, UK 2011
http://youtu.be/ky5bjONPoek
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BBC Radio 4 interview 2008 in Performance Documentation

'Mugged' in Selected Paintings and Drawings

Lee Campbell curates Lee Campbell Projects

Lee Campbell collaborative work with Frog Morris

Lee Campbell reviews and comments in Rants and Raves